Othellogames

Ataxx

Ataxx

Rules

Two players confront each other, using pieces of different colours (one colour by player).

Each player begins with two pieces, the 4 pieces are in the corners of the square.

(Screen shot of my program for palm)

By using horizontal, vertical and diagonal moves, each piece may go in an adjacent free square, splitting in two pieces, or it may jump one case to go on a free square (without splitting).

2

2

2

2

2

2

1

1

1

2

2

1

x

1

2

2

1

1

1

2

2

2

2

2

2

In this illustration the initial position is x,
the 8 destinations with twinning of the piece are 1, and the 16 destinations by jump
(the piece disappears from its initial position) are 2.

Each opponent piece adjacent to the destination square turns its colour (in horizontal, vertical and diagonal direction, until 8 pieces may so be touched).

Players alternate turns, making one move each turn.

You cannot "pass" or skip a turn, unless trapped.

The winner is the one with more pieces when all the squares are filled. It may also finish before, when a player got 0 piece or cannot play anymore even in future moves (however, if one player has more than half the pieces, and may fill the free ones without "giving" an accessible free case to his opponent, the game may be finished at this moment).

Some random or chosen squares are locked. They are called blocks and are symmetrically placed around the centre of the square.

The blocks number must be limited, to keep the game "good playable". The following rule may be token : the blocks number must be less than the playable pieces number, so less than 7 x 7 / 2 = 24.5, maximum 24, and also must keep the accessibility to all the playable cases (particularly, there are no blocks at the 4 corners).

The game is ending when somebody plays 3 times the same placing sequence,
and the one who have the most pieces wins